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We got a little frustrated with the Atlanta Falcons early in free agency. Flush with cap space, they allowed Patrick DiMarco leave for the Buffalo Bills on a pretty reasonable contract. DiMarco was a punishing blocker and had 37 catches for 273 yards in his four seasons with the Falcons.
So, if you will pardon my French, what the heck?
Thomas Dimitroff said if the #Falcons fill the FB spot, it'll be with an athlete not an old-fashioned, typical bruising FB
— Knox Bardeen (@knoxbardeen) March 13, 2017
I pulled two things from this. First, Dimitroff said if. Second, they are looking for a versatile guy who can make some plays outside of simply blocking.
We know DiMarco was a big help in the run game, but he was only on the field for 31.2% of Atlanta’s offensive snaps. In that same vein, a lot of teams don’t even have a fullback.
If I was to guess, the Falcons may want fullback/tight end like Rhett Ellison or James Casey that is a big more versatile with bigger playmaking ability with the ball in his hands.
We have been wondering what changes Steve Sarkisian will do with this offense, outside of knowing when to run the ball, of course. He better know that. That’s all I really want. The NFL is moving more towards more tight ends and fewer fullbacks. It gives the offense some better options both when running and passing, and we hope the offensive line can pick up the slack on 4th and one situations.
The Falcons could add a hybrid type, or just stick to playing more tight ends instead of the typical blocker. If I were to guess, look out for this move later in the draft.